A History of Carmarthenshire

Lloyd, Sir John E., (Ed.). 2 vols., Cardiff, London Carmarthenshire Society (1935, 1939).

With the kind permission of the publishers sundry snippets from this book have been extracted by Gareth Hicks onto some parish pages, these below are in random order.

Here is a list of the book's contents and contributors..

Methodists in Carmarthenshire

The 'Monthly Meetings' (of moderators, superintendents, stewards, and exhorters) in Carmarthenshire were usually at Dygoedydd, Abergorlech, Llwyn y Berllan, and Glan yr Afon DDu in Talley, but other places, such as Llanddeusant, are also mentioned.

Dafydd Gorlech

Section 'Literature and Literary Associations; -- 15th & 16th centuries.

There is only the name (Dafydd Gorlech) to link him with Abergorlech, but that may be taken to be sufficient. He was a contemporary of Lewis Glyn Cothi, or slightly later; certainly he was more humbly endowed. He indulged mostly in prognostications or political forecasts, concealed more or less in allegory and of the type known as cywyddau brud.

List of High Sheriffs of Carmarthenshire 1541-1900; includes;

1649 Henry Price of Abergorlech

Calvinistic Methodism

Firstly says;  the fountain-head of Carmarthenshire Methodism was the remote little chapel of ease of Ystrad Ffin (this in the time frame of the mid 18th century).

Then ; another such chapel of ease was Abergorlech, attached to the distant church of Llanybydder. Tibbott heard Rowland preach there in 1741; there was a society there in 1743 at latest. How Rowland obtained a foothold there is not known. On September 4, 1744, a 'Monthly meeting' at Abergorlech is found petitioning the bishop not to execute his threat to deprive the Methodists of the chapel. The toleration (if that it was) was evidently continued, for not only preaching services but celebrations of Holy Communion (in both cases, of course, by Methodists who were in orders) were held at Abergorlech for a long time.

..........................The use of these consecrated buildings, and especially of Abergorlech and Llanlluan, for monthly Sacrament services..........enabled Carmarthenshire Methodists who could not (or would not) communicate at their parish churches, to avoid, for some time, an expedient which was soon forced on other districts, namely, celebrations of the Lord's Supper in meeting houses and even in dwelling houses.

The notes to the above page says;

Though it is not strictly relevant here, the reader may care to have a note on Griffith Jones's use of chapels of ease........he used those at.......Abergorlech Chapel.................

Independent chapel

Chapter 'Nonconformity and Methodism'; .......it is very difficult to tease apart the early histories of the Independent churches at Abergorlech and Gwernogle, which again for a long time were closely associated with Mynydd Bach (Capel Isaac) and Pencadair respectively.

............subject to these cautions we reckon that there were in 1715 seventeen Presbyterian or Independent churches (in Carmarthenshire);..................assigning Abergorlech to this period, in default of evidence to the contrary---how early it was independent of Capel Isaac is uncertain.

Mill at Abergorlech

Chapter 'Later Middle Ages' , section  The Forests of Glyncothi and Pennant; ....the mill of Brechfa comes within the forest area in an early record ,but at later dates the mills mentioned are Glyndachwen, near Abergorlech, and Pwll-cymbyd in Llanybydder.....

Gareth Hicks